The Abia State Police Command stated on Sunday that it had apprehended the tenant who had taken four of her co-tenants’ children and had rescued all of the missing children.
ASP Maureen Chinaka, the state Police Public Relations Officer, revealed this in a statement made on behalf of the state Commissioner of Police, Kenechukwu Onwumelie.
The statement read,
“On December 16, 2023, one Mrs. Ifeanyi Ibe (female) of Ubakala Street, Ossai Road, Umuahia, reported the abduction of her children and her neighbours’ by an unidentified tenant.
“In response to the complaint, the Abia State Police Command commenced investigation into the incident.
“Leveraging robust technical intelligence support from the DSS in Abia State, on December 22 2023, police detectives from Abia State Police Command, successfully apprehended one Ifeoma Abonyi, a 35-year-old female in Asaba, Delta State.
“Ifeoma Abonyi has been identified as the hitherto unknown tenant responsible for the abduction of the four children.
“We are happy to inform the public that all the four missing children stolen on December 16, 2023 have now been rescued.
“Two of the children were rescued on December 22, 2023, while another two were rescued today, December 24, 2023.
“A total of eight suspects (five females and three males) are currently helping the police with the investigation into the crime.
“Three other persons suspected to be complicit in the crime are still at large. We are intensifying efforts to ensure their arrest soonest.
“Meanwhile, investigation is ongoing to determine the real status of six other children that were found in the custody of the arrested suspects.
“This might entail the conduct of DNA tests, as some of the suspects are claiming that the children are their biological offspring. We shall keep the public informed of the outcome of the investigation as soon as possible.”
Platinum Times had reported that it was a sad moment last Saturday evening as three tenants in Umuahia realised that four of their children had allegedly been taken away by their new neighbour who just packed in three days earlier.
Madam Ngozi Kingsley of Okon Ohafia Ohafia LGA, Madam Ifeanyi Uduma of Okon Ohafia and sister to Madam Ngozi Kingsley, and Madam Blessing Obasi of Nwoke compound, Elugwu Nguzu Edda in Ebonyi State were the tenants. In Umuahia, they are all traders.
According to them in an interview with PUNCH, the suspect moved into the compound as a new renter on Thursday, December 15, along with another lady suspected of being her sister, friend, or collaborator.
She was revealed to have packed only a camp gas, a 6-inch little foam, and a mat in a small bag.
It was also observed that the two renters only tied similar wrappers when inside the residence, indicating that they had little clothing with them.
Within the first two days, they endeared themselves to the rest of their neighbors as women who adore children by playing with them, buying them gifts, and running errands for them.